Monthly Archives: January 2013

This is my first official post for the Club and I’m very excited to get the ball rolling. I’ve spent some time reviewing past posts and getting a feel for the Club operation. It’s my goal to build upon the success that Andrew and Jeff have had with the group and not stray much from the winning formula.

More information will follow in the coming weeks as we gather members and start to get a feel for how many horses we will run this year. We’ll discuss strategies for claiming and race placement, racing terminology, condition books and any other topics that come up in the course of the season.

Please feel free to comment with any questions you may have. The odds are pretty good that if you have a question, someone else in the group is thinking about the same thing. If you feel a bit uncomfortable putting yourself out there, then feel free to email me at ted@grevelisracing.com and I’ll shoot you a note back or design a post around your question if it seems to have mass appeal.

If you’ve been a member for a few years, it may seem like some topics are being repeated, but don’t forget, this is supposed to be a learning experience so please be patient. I know that I’ve been around this game for a long time and I learn something new with every season. Every season, every horse, brings something new and different and should provide us with some exciting and interesting moments.

Memberships are now being accepted for the 2013 Club. If you have been involved previously, welcome back – you obviously enjoyed your experience so why don’t you bring a friend or two along this year? The more members we can get this season, the more horses we’ll be able to run so the more frequently we’ll be at the races watching our horses run!

For more information, including the necessary sign up forms to be a part of the 2013 Racing Club, please click here.

Well, it was a great run. We’ve finalized all of the bills and have some exciting new information to share about the 2013 Racing Club. First, let’s wrap up 2013!

Here’s a look at our final financial statements for the year:

Balance as of November 30, 2012 = $24,127.04

December Revenue

3rd Place Finish (December 21) – $1,600

Sale of Great Bam – $3,000

December Expenses

Training (22 days @ $60 per day) – $1,320

Post Parade Pony (December 21) – $25

Trainer Fee (10% of 3rd place finish) – $160

Jockey Fee (3rd place finish) – $125

December Veterinarian Expenses

Raceday & Anti-Bleeding Medication – $65

Electrolytes, Vitamins and Enzymes – $107.50

Thyroid Medication, Joint Lubricants and Supplements – $570.10

Total December Expenses – 2,372.60

2012 Canterbury Racing Club Final Balance – $26,354.44

With a final outstanding balance of $26,354.44 and a total of 165 shares in the club, each membership will be entitled to a return of $159.72

Obviously not a banner year; however, we did get a very robust experience including some of the highs and lows of racing. Hopefully you found your $90 expenditure to be worth the experience and you enjoyed the trips to the track and the educational opportunities this club provides.

In 2013, the racing club will take a slightly different shape as both Jeff and I will be largely removing ourselves from the club and experienced racing partnership organizer and a member of the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association Ted Grevelis will be taking the reins of the Racing Club.

The club will continue to keep its low membership fee of $250 and its great benefits and we hope that the group goes to even greater heights in 2013 with a larger membership base and a wider variety of horses from different parts of the country.

For more information about the 2013 Racing Club, including a formal introduction of Ted, and for forms that will allow you to roll your 2012 Remaining Balance into the 2013 Racing Club, click on this link. If you do not choose to take part in the 2013 Racing Club, checks will be returned to all members that have not elected to rollover on February 15.

Thanks for being a part of the 2012 Racing Club, we have really enjoyed the educational experience and hope you have too.

The 2013 Racing Club will be even better and we can’t wait to see where the group goes and the runners it brings to town! May all your photo finishes be winning ones in 2013.

The Canterbury Racing Club 2013 is now being formed! You have the opportunity to be involved again this year for the very reasonable price of $250. This club will teach you more about the costs, decisions and day-to-day operations involved in owning a racehorse.

If you were a member in the 2012 Racing Club, you can simply roll-over your remaining 2012 membership balance of $159.72 and submit an additional $90.28 along with a completed club membership form.

There are a few changes in the way the club will be run this year. With Andrew Offerman moving into Canterbury’s Live Racing and Mutuels departments and my desire to separate Canterbury management from the day-to-day Racing Club decisions such as claiming horses, we have found an experienced manager to run the club.

Ted Grevelis, a Board Member of the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association, has managed partnerships for a number of years and is also an excellent communicator, which is key to this club meeting its goal of being educational for all members. As the manager, Ted will receive a monthly fee which is explained in the membership form. I believe this to be a very reasonable solution considering other factors.

Here’s a self-introduction from Ted:

We all have a moment when the racing bug bit us and we couldn’t shake it off. Mine was
the 1986 Preakness Stakes. I knew it was all over for me because as a 20-year-old in the Pimlico infield I was captivated by the horses and not the party/meat market that was raging all around me.

I continued on as a fan for several years frequenting the tracks around my native New England as I finished up my government degree at Colby College. After graduation, I even paid my way through a year of graduate school at the University of Maryland punching tickets at Pimlico and Laurel Racetracks. Life eventually intervened and between owning a restaurant and then moving halfway around the world to Guam, racing took a decided backseat for nearly seven years.

A return to the mainland and settling in the race book Mecca of Las Vegas put racing back on the front burner and into my consciousness again, but it wasn’t until I moved to Minnesota in 2005 that I dove into ownership. I started as a small partner in a California stable and was able to see our claim, King Mobay, finish 5th in the Cal Cup Classic.

My appetite properly whet, I turned my attention closer to home and became a partner in two Minnesota bred siblings: Somerset Sam and Somerset Wish. During this experience, my co-workers decided that they wanted to be involved in the sport and that resulted in my forming my first partnership and Grevelis Racing Stable. It was around that time that I also started my blog, www.grevelisracing.blogspot.com, to chronicle the experiences of being a small time owner.

We worked with Canterbury Hall of Fame trainer Bernell Rhone and claimed our first horse, Fizzy Pop for $10,000. He won his second time over the Canterbury strip and gave the stable its first outright win. If I wasn’t hooked before, I was then! The trip to the winner’s circle was like it was in slow motion and the joy was indescribable.

Since then we’ve privately purchased or claimed several horses including multiple Canterbury winner Tabby Lane (3 for 4 over the strip in 2011) and a 2-year old filly named E Sveikata who was purchased for $16,000 and claimed from us after her maiden win at Calder for $32,000. Not all the horses have worked out but we’ve been able to maintain a 20% winning percentage and 51% in the money in nearly 90 starts with earnings over $205,000. We’ve raced in Minnesota, Florida, Oklahoma, Iowa and California.

This year, in addition to the Canterbury Racing Club we will hopefully be racing a 2-year-old Minnesota bred filly named Elusive Edition, we have a group looking to claim a mid-level horse at Tampa Bay Downs and are in the process of sending Tabby Lane to the breeding shed for a mating with the Storm Cat sire, Eastwood Dacat. I’m also heading into my third year in covering Canterbury for the Daily Racing Form and serve on the board of directors of the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association. All of this is sandwiched around my day job as Business Development Manager for FutureLogic Inc, the market leader in printers for the gaming industry.

I’m looking forward to working with you all and hope to have a successful and fun 2013!

Ted will do an excellent job with this club and it is everyone’s goal to grow the club this year and have even more horses, possibly even a quarter horse. We will be looking in both Florida and Illinois for prospects and Ted will work closely with the trainer or trainers (depending on the size and makeup of the stable).

While Andrew and I won’t be involved in running the club on a daily basis, I will still be very involved in providing information and updates which Ted will pass along through the blog. I now have on staff a videographer that will be able to provide more visuals and educational pieces. I am always available to answer questions and take suggestions.

Members will again have free admission for the season and when possible we will reserve an area for the group on race days. Finally, Curtis Sampson has agreed to be the licensed owner of record for the club this year, much like John Morgan did in 2012.

We have finally collected all of the bills and are in the process of paying them and closing out the account. It looks like everyone will be getting back a little bit more than half of what they put into the club this year.

It will probably take us another week or so to get all of the accounting finalized and to come up with a complete financial update for the group.

Plan on another post wrapping up the 2012 Racing Club next week. Plus, we hope to have more information for you on plans for 2013!